Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Principles of Learning
Principles of Learning
Principles of Learning
Introduction................................................................................................................3
Question.................................................................................................................7
Answer...................................................................................................................7
Question.................................................................................................................8
Answer...................................................................................................................8
6.3.1 Readiness......................................................................................................9
6.3.2 Exercise........................................................................................................9
6.3.3 Effect..........................................................................................................10
6.3.4 Primacy......................................................................................................10
6.3.5 Recency......................................................................................................10
6.3.6 Intensity......................................................................................................11
6.3.7 Freedom......................................................................................................11
Question...............................................................................................................12
Answer.................................................................................................................12
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Question...............................................................................................................13
Answer.................................................................................................................13
Question...............................................................................................................14
Answer.................................................................................................................14
Question...............................................................................................................15
Answer.................................................................................................................15
Question...............................................................................................................16
Answer.................................................................................................................16
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Answer.................................................................................................................17
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Study Session 6 Principles of Learning
Introduction
This study session examines the principles of learning and why they are important
within your role as a Health Extension Practitioner. It considers the key characteristics
of learning and how they influence the health education activities that you will
develop. In doing so it illustrates the similarities and differences in the ways both
adults and children learn and how consideration of these can inform your practice in
the delivery of health education. Drawing upon psychological, physical and
environmental factors and teaching methodologies, this session identifies the factors
that influence the learning process and how knowledge of these will help you when
you are planning your health education programmes.
6.1 Define and use correctly all of the key words printed in bold. (SAQ 6.1)
6.5 Understand some of the most important factors affecting learning. (SAQ 6.4)
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Figure 6.1 These women are learning about health issues that are important to them.
They are concentrating hard. (Photo: Lindsay Stark)
Training usually means the act of being prepared for something, of being taught or
learning a particular skill and practising it until the required standard is reached.
The word education means to gain general theoretical knowledge and this may or
may not involve learning how to do any specific practical work, tasks or skills.
Education also refers to a process of training or receiving tuition. Usually basic
training in health services is a combination of theoretical, educational and practical
learning skills.
As a Health Extension Practitioner a large part of your work will involve teaching
people in your local community about health matters. This is why you need to be able
to understand the key characteristics of the learning process and the learner. Although
some aspects of learning really are very simple and straightforward — for example if
you don’t get bitten by a mosquito you won’t catch malaria — other aspects of
learning are more complicated. In this respect learning is considered to be unitary the
learner responds as a ‘whole person’ in a unified way to the whole situation. They
respond intellectually, emotionally, physically and spiritually at the same time.
Learning is also social, because it takes place in response to the environment in which
there are other individuals as well as physical things. Each learner is unique and has
needs and problems not exactly like others. In other words, some have well developed
intellectual abilities and others may be less able; some are skilled in self-expression,
while others have difficulty; some are slow to learn, but others may be quick; some
are sociable while others are shy and retiring. An effective health educator must
consider the variations and differences among learners and provide health information
accordingly.
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Learning is self-active this principle embodies the idea that a learner learns through
their own activities. Learning is a personal process. Self-active learning includes
listening, visualising, recalling, memorising, reasoning, using your judgment and
thinking. In your role as a health educator you will be expected to guide, direct and
select different types of learning activities based on what you want your audience to
learn from your health education session. Hence, you are expected to encourage active
engagement of the audience in the learning process.
Learning is purposive. That means that learning is moving toward a goal or end result.
Learning experiences are meaningful when they are related to the individual’s
interests. It follows from this that as a health educator you are expected to involve the
members of your community throughout the health education activity so that they feel
ownership of the programme.
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Figure 6.2 These young children are learning while being creative — and having fun
at the same time. (Photo: SOS Children’s Villages)
Question
In the last six paragraphs some characteristics of learning that have important
implications for your health education activities have been outlined. List at least three
of those characteristics of learning, making sure you are clear about what each of
them imply. If you are not sure then go back and read the paragraphs again.
Answer
unitary
individual
social
self-active
purposive
creative
transferable.
Most of these terms are self-explanatory; however, make a point of being sure you are
clear what ‘unitary’ means as it is an overarching idea, with most of the other
characteristics actually being under its ‘umbrella’.
End of answer
6
As a member of your community, you have been living closely with mothers and
children and you will have also observed how children explore and learn from their
surroundings. Based on that you can get some useful ideas about learning by thinking
about how babies and young children learn. They often have confidence in themselves
and are still full of the joy of learning (Figure 6.3). At their best adults also learn in
similar ways.
Figure 6.3 This young child is learning all the time — even from simple activities in
the home. (Photo: Lindsay Stark)
Question
Next time you have a chance to observe small children learning and playing, see if
you can identify some the steps they go through.
Answer
Box 6.1 gives you some idea of the sequence of children’s learning. Read it through
and compare it to your own observations.
End of answer
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4. The next step is to imitate or copy the same action saying, ‘Let me do it
myself’.
5. Learning takes place by repeating the action again and again (Figure 6.4).
6. Children usually start to ask others to observe them so they can show that they
are able to do the activity they have just learnt.
Figure 6.4 Learning is an enjoyable activity for this child — and for her teacher.
(Photo: Tedla Mulatu)
Principles of learning, also known as laws of learning, are readiness, exercise, effect,
primacy, recency, intensity and freedom. These are discussed below and they should
help you in designing and conducting your health education sessions.
6.3.1 Readiness
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Readiness implies a degree of willingness and eagerness of an individual to learn
something new. Individuals learn best when they are physically, mentally and
emotionally ready to learn — and they do not learn well if they see no reason for
learning. Getting the audience ready to learn, creating interest by showing the value of
the subject matter and providing continuous mental or physical challenge is usually
the health educator’s responsibility. Since learning is an active process, the audience
must have adequate rest, health, and physical comfort while learning.
6.3.2 Exercise
The principle of exercise states that those things that are most often repeated are the
ones that are best remembered. Your audience will learn best and retain information
longer when they have meaningful practice and repetition. It is clear that practice
leads to improvement only when it is followed by positive feedback.
The human mind is forgetful and it can rarely retain, evaluate, and apply new
concepts or practices after a single exposure. Audiences will not learn complex tasks
in a single session. They learn by applying what they have been told and shown.
Every time practice occurs, learning continues. The health educator must repeat
important items of subject matter at reasonable intervals and provide opportunities for
the audience to practice while making sure that this process is directed towards
learning something new.
6.3.3 Effect
One of the important obligations of the health educator is to set up the learning
situation in such a manner that each person being taught will be able to see evidence
of their own progress and achieve some degree of success.
6.3.4 Primacy
Primacy, the state of being first, often creates a strong impression which may be very
difficult to change. Things learned first create a strong impression in the mind that is
difficult to erase. ‘Unteaching’ or erasing from the mind incorrect first impressions is
harder than teaching them correctly in the first place. If, for example, a mother is
taught a faulty technique about preparation of replacement feeding (formula, instead
of breastfeeding), you as a health educator will have a difficult task correcting bad
habits and ‘reteaching’ correct ones.
The learner’s first experience should be positive, functional and lay the foundation for
all that is to follow. As a health educator you should present your subject matter in a
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logical order, step by step, making sure the audience has already learned and
understood the preceding step.
6.3.5 Recency
The principle of recency states that things most recently learned are best remembered.
Conversely, the further a learner is removed time-wise from a new fact or
understanding, the more difficult it is to remember. For example, it is easier for a
mother to recall what children were fed this morning than to remember what they
were fed three days ago.
6.3.6 Intensity
The more intense the material taught, the more likely it will be retained. A sharp,
clear, dramatic, or exciting learning experience teaches more than a routine or boring
experience. The principle of intensity implies that a learner will learn more from the
real thing than from a substitute.
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Figure 6.5 Although it is a good idea to show people the new bed nets, each family
will need a demonstration in their own home to make the teaching more realistic and
effective. (Photo: UNICEF Ethiopia/Indrias Getachew)
6.3.7 Freedom
The principle of freedom states that things freely learned are best learned.
Conversely, if the audience is forced to learn something, the more difficult it is for
them to learn. Compulsion and forcing are not favorable for personal growth. For
example, if you force a family to construct a latrine in their compound, they may not
be interested to do that. However if you motivate them to do that through proper
education of the family, they are more likely to construct the latrines and use them
properly.
Question
This has been a long section and there are a lot of things to remember. But, just as
with teaching others, you will improve your chances of absorbing all of this by
thinking about it again now. So assume that you are planning to conduct a health
education session on a new technology, such as how to use a new insecticide for the
prevention of malaria in your community. Which of the principles of adult learning
would be best for you to use when planning your health education sessions if the
following situations were to occur?
1. People in your village are not willing to learn new skills on malaria
prevention.
2. You have a difficulty in demonstrating the new technology in the real situation
in the village because of limited time.
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3. The community has failed to appreciate the benefits of conducting the new
prevention methods.
4. People could not practice the new technology again and again because of the
limited samples of the new technology.
5. People were forced by the kebele leader to apply the new technology, but they
didn’t really want to do it.
6. A few weeks ago, people have heard a false rumour that the new technology
has some serious side effects and as a result you have difficulty in removing
this misconception.
Answer
All of these things are examples that you should make notes about — what works and
what doesn’t that will help you to build up a broader picture of the patterns of
successful learning.
1. Readiness: that is you need to find a way of helping them get to the stage of
being ‘ready’.
2. Intensity: a demonstration or a role play will increase the intensity.
3. Effect: you need to make sure they can actually see and understand the good
effects of the new technology.
4. Exercise: even though there is limited technology around you need to find a
way for people to be able to use it, possible by time limiting practice sessions
by ringing a bell, or by timing people … so that even though they only have
limited time they stay interested because they do know they will get a turn.
5. Freedom: if you can bring about readiness (see 1 above) then you can undo the
problems of people feeling forced. If they feel ready they won’t have felt
bullied.
6. Primacy: you may have to do something to try and break the pattern of
misconceptions here. Say ‘We are starting again’ or circulate a leaflet that
explains how the misconceptions came about.
End of answer
Physiological factors
Psychological factors
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Environmental factors
Teaching methodology.
The physiological factors include how people feel, their physical health, and their
levels of fatigue at the time of learning, the quality of the food and drink they have
consumed, their age, etc.
Question
Think of some physiological factors that are important when you try to study or learn
something new for yourself.
Answer
Although everyone has a different pattern, most people need to feel safe and secure
and not be hungry or tired. Many people are aware of the time of day they learn best
— some at night, others early in the morning. It is a blend for each individual.
End of answer
Physical health is important because ill health hampers learning, and so can fatigue.
Studying for a long time can cause fatigue, which affects your audience’s learning
capacity. The time of learning also influences how much new knowledge is acquired.
The quantity and quality of healthy food and drink also plays a crucial part because
nutrition is responsible for efficient mental activity. Poor nutrition adversely affects
learning. Alcoholic drinks and caffeine, as well as tobacco, all have an adverse effect
on the capacity of people to learn. Good physiological factors promote effective
learning.
People find it very difficult try to learn new things if they are in a difficult
environment. Atmospheric conditions such as high temperature and humidity tend to
lower mental efficiency. Studying in conditions of poor ventilation, the lack of proper
lighting, where there is noise and physical discomfort, all hamper learning capacity.
Good conditions make it easier to learn (Figure 6.6).
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Figure 6.6 These children are comfortable and are learning in an ideal environment.
(Photo: SOS Children’s Villages)
Question
Imagine that you are teaching a family about the importance of environmental
sanitation. What would you say about the following statements in regard to their
effect on the effectiveness of your teaching? Which of the physiological factors are
responsible for their effect on the learning process for each of the following?
1. What if you are teaching the family at 2.00pm on a fasting day when they do
not eat until the sun goes down?
2. What if a member of the family is seriously ill?
4. What if the room is very hot and hasn’t got much air?
Answer
1. Lack of food and drink on a fasting day may affect the learning process, as
good nutrition is necessary for efficient mental activity. If you do need to
conduct a teaching session on a fasting day, make sure that it happens after the
family has eaten.
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2. Physical health — an illness would hamper the learning process for the person
who is ill, but also the rest of the family might be worried about that person and
not be able to learn effectively. Put off your teaching until the person is
recovered and the whole family can learn together.
3. Perception — the noise from the children may affect the learning capacity of
the audience. Try to include the children in your teaching session or make sure
they can play safely away from the house.
End of answer
You will know from your own study that if you are anxious or worried you will not be
able to learn very efficiently. Psychological factors such as mental ill-health or
mental tension and conflict all hamper learning. A related psychological factor is
motivation — no learning can take place in the absence of motivation. Purposeless
learning is not learning at all. Motivation can energise, select and direct positive
behaviour.
Question
Can you think of a time when you had a lot of motivation to study?
Answer
Most people have times in their life when they are particularly motivated to study.
Perhaps this was while you were at school and really wanted to get good grades? Or
now, as you are developing your role as a Health Extension Practitioner?
End of answer
In general, for motivation to take place in health education sessions, learning should
be purposeful and meaningful, and the audience should be interested in the health
issue being discussed during the session. Encouragement and praise stimulate learning
of health-related skills (Figure 6.7). You will need to encourage the people to whom
you are giving your health education messages.
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Figure 6.7 Children — and people of all ages — need encouragement to learn most
effectively. (Photo: SOS Children’s Villages)
The key environmental factors when delivering your health education messages are
the conditions where the learners have to sit to do their learning. Learning is
hampered by bad environmental conditions such as distraction, noise, poor
illumination, bad ventilation, overcrowding and inconvenient seating arrangements.
Question
Can you think of a time when you had to endure poor conditions to do your learning?
Answer
Most people can remember a bad classroom or a situation where learning was
difficult. Often it is noone’s fault and can be as simple as being in a classroom next
door to a very noisy set of people, or under a corrugated iron roof in the rainy season.
Such things can make a learning environment very difficult.
End of answer
The location of the health education setting, the internal set up, the accommodation,
decoration and sanitary conditions are all very important for efficient learning. The
organisational set up of the health education setting also influences learning. For
example, if you are giving a health education session in your Health Post, and if the
room is very overcrowded with healthy as well as sick individuals, some of them
sitting on the floor and others by the door, this would hamper the learning among all
of the attendants.
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6.4.4 Teaching methodology
Your health education teaching materials should be properly planned and organised.
They should suit the mental level of the audience. For example, if you are planning to
educate a rural family on personal hygiene, a poster or picture could be good health
learning material if it is supported with talks. But a leaflet with lots of text would not
be a good teaching aid because a large number of rural people are unable to read. All
your teaching should be presented in a meaningful and interesting manner. It is also
important to encourage learning-by-doing. When we talked about the characteristics
of learning, we referred to self-active learning — learning-by-doing is one very good
way of active learning. For example, if you are teaching a family about the utilisation
of bed nets, it would be good to encourage them to demonstrate back to you how they
would attach them — after you show them how to do it for the first time. Saying
things again and repeating them in a meaningful manner, as well as practice, are
important for learning and the audience must be encouraged to learn through activity.
Consequently, the use of lectures and health talks should be kept to a minimum.
Learning can then be reinforced by simple testing, which is informal, but includes
feedback. In this way, the audience would know how well they are doing and they
will also be encouraged to learn new skills.
For example, if you want to teach a mother about proper position and attachment for
breastfeeding, it is good first to demonstrate the correct position to the mother. You
can then test whether she has learnt this correctly by asking her to demonstrate the
proper positioning and attachment back to you. You should encourage her to practice
it until she gets it right. This should continuously be accompanied by your comments
and feedback on her level of achievement.
Question
We’ve just given two examples of active learning. Now think about it yourself.
Assume that you are planning to educate a family about proper utilisation of
insecticide treated bed nets (ITNs). Consider the following questions:
1. What types of health learning materials could you use to deliver your health
education session?
2. Where would you prefer to teach them about ITN? At their home or at the
Health Post?
3. After you teach them about ITN utilisation, how would you plan to test your
audience about what they have learned in the session?
Answer
1. Health education information could be reinforced with flip charts that are
continuous pictorial presentations that demonstrate the steps of using the bed
nets, and posters that would demonstrate how to solve problems related to torn
nets.
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2. Home would be preferable, so that it could be a very realistic demonstration
for them in how they can use the nets based on the real bed, floor and roof
arrangement in their own households.
3. The best way to test whether they have learnt the skill is to ask them to put up
the bed nets while you are observing them. Remember to give them feedback
and encouragement on their practice.
End of answer
o Exercise states that those things most often repeated are best
remembered.
o Primacy the things you learn first often create a strong impression
which can be very difficult to change.
o Recency states that things most recently learned are best remembered.
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o Intensity implies that a learner will learn more from the real thing than
from a substitute.
o The principle of freedom states that things freely learned are learned
best.
4. In the day to day activities of health education, the factors that influence
learning may be classified into four categories: physical factors, psychological
factors, environmental factors and teaching methodology.
Learning is self-active.
Learning is purposive.
Answer
As you have seen in this study session, learning-by-doing is a key aspect of self-active
learning, so in the case of a breast feeding mother: If you want to teach a mother
about proper position and attachment for breastfeeding, it is good first to demonstrate
the correct position to the mother. You can then test whether she has learnt this
correctly by asking her to demonstrate the proper positioning and attachment back to
you. You should encourage her to practice it until she gets it right. This should
continuously be accompanied by your comments and positive encouragement and
feedback on her level of achievement.
For breastfeeding mothers, this type of learning is purposive because each mother will
really want to make sure that their baby is getting the right amount of breastmilk to
help it grow and develop properly.
End of answer
Correct positioning and attachment for breastfeeding is taught in the Postnatal Care
Module.
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SAQ 6.2 (tests Learning Outcome 6.3)
Read again the principles of learning. Make a list of three ways in which you could
help people to learn how they could use their insecticide treated bed nets (ITNs) in the
correct way.
Answer
You could try role play, so people can really see how using their ITNs is done
correctly. You could hold a competition for who can attach a net best and fastest to
keep people interested, but at the same time emphasising, that there is no point in
doing it fast if you don’t do it properly. You could photograph people under an ITN
that has been attached correctly, and pin up photos to show how it is done.
End of answer
Imagine that you are teaching a group of mothers about oral rehydration salts (ORS)
preparation. How would you apply the principles of adult learning in planning and
conducting your health education sessions?
Answer
The sequence is first observe, then add other senses like listening, ask questions like
why and how, imitate, repeat, ask others to observe, and finally be able to do it. So
firstly you get them to observe you and listen to you as you prepare and administer
oral rehydration salts. Then you encourage people to ask questions. Then ask people
to try it out for themselves (that is, imitate you), and repeat this several times. Then
they can either ask you to watch them do the preparation and administration for
themselves, or they can ask each other, and by this time they will have learned and
should be able to do it.
End of answer
Suppose that you are planning to teach various groups of the community in different
settings and during different seasons of the year. Based on the local situation in your
community, try to list the most common factors that may influence the effectiveness
of your teaching, using the following broad categories of factors to organise your
answers:
Physiological factors
Psychological factors
Environmental factors.
Answer
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We list below factors which have been mentioned in this study session. It is not a total
list, and depending on your circumstances and environment you may have
encountered others too.
Physiological factors
Their age
Psychological factors
You will know from your own study that if you are anxious or worried you will not be
able to learn very efficiently. Psychological factors also certainly do influence the
learning process.
Environmental factors
Distraction
Noise
Poor illumination
Bad ventilation
Overcrowding
End of answer
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